The friends of Ringo Ishikawa
A highschool gang leader Ringo Ishikawa trying to live through his last autumn before graduation. With his best friends.
You should play it if:
1) You’re fond of good stories with strong dialogues (especially about growing up)
2) You’re a fight games enthusiast (you’ll get your hands on some unique brawl mechanic and I promise you’ll be satisfied)
3) You’re into some yakuza-delinquent aesthetics
Basically, the game is an existential open world beat’em up with some school sim elements. It has a little of everything: a town to explore, day-night cycle, npc on their schedule, battle grinding, school grinding, mini-games (ping-pong, billiard, video-poker, video-game console with one game…) and so on.
But the main thing is the story I’m trying to tell. And I designed the game to make you feel this story. So it’s not about rival gangs, or taking over turfs, or anything. You just live there and feel. And that’s all.
Steam User 11
Good game. Hold a button down to study. Or just sit in class and look out the window. Or don't even go to school at all. School sucks anyways. Everybody's talking about graduation. Who cares. Become a legend.
Steam User 4
To those that haven't, play it. It's a slow burn worth every cigarette smoked, book read, and ass kicked.
To Yeo, keep making games, brother. You're taking the lessons from Shenmue and others that I wish the entire industry did.
After playing this game, I'll won't pay anything under full price for your work.
Steam User 2
The combat is fun, the story starts a little slow but is interesting and kept me playing. Would recommend if you enjoy beat'em up's with a chill slice of life story.
Steam User 3
Finishing this game left me with a hole to be filled in my heart. Incredible atmosphere, simple and complete gameplay and an immersion that I haven't had playing in a long time.
Steam User 2
got this to just larp and beat up people walked away very happy with the journey i loved this game so much and really enjoyed it
i cant wait to see what yeo brings next hopefully another 2d beat em up but im open to anything
Steam User 2
It's a very strange type of game, there are some principles, but you don't really know what they are because the game keeps them obscured. All in all it has a lot of potential, but I'm not sure how far the devs will take it. For my money I would make this game kind of like punch club in the sense of putting in a workout tree, and expanding the story to let the player build up that way.
Steam User 4
Perhaps someday I will properly write out a full review or even an essay for The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa; however, as I am writing this it is 9 in the morning and I have just stayed up all night playing and completing the game in one sitting, that on its own should speak to the quality of this game.
The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa is a wonderfully moody and melancholy game with fun combat. a great gameplay loop, and a brilliantly sharp and down to earth writing style which made each character feel so real and alive. On top of the writing and gameplay, The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa contains some of the most beautiful, well animated, and satisfying pixel art I've seen, not to mention a great soundtrack.
I think if I had one complaint it would be that the game left me yearning for more, its just so short and the ending comes so abruptly, I think its well done and suits the narrative but there's a part of me that cant help but wish I got to see more from the characters and setting.
The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa is not for everyone but for those who will like it, they'll surely love it as I did
Final Score: 8/10 but a 10/10 in my heart, I think The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa is a game that will stick with me for a long time